good morning. breaking news. is it jessica? a body found just seven miles from the home of missing colorado 10-year-old jessica ridgeway has the desperate search ended in tragedy? we're awaiting a new conference from police. we'll have the latest. duel in danville, joe biden and pau ryan face off in the only vice presidential debate. ryan vowing to take the fight directly to biden. biden looking to get his ticket back on track. this morning, exclusive new poll numbers from the three states that could decide this election. and false alarm. a s.w.a.t. team surrounds justin bieber's los angeles home. turns out, he's the latest victim of a hoax. the third aimed at celebrities in recent weeks. and police are trying to find

who's behind the string of disturbing pranks today, thursday, october 11th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to today on a thursday morning. i'm savannah gurthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. the news out of colorado seems to be upsetting. police have yet to say if the body they found is that of 10-year-old jessica ridgeway. more on that story coming up. but we'll start this morning with politics. it's a big day in the presidential race. all eyes on danville, kentucky, for the vice presidential debate. >> paul ryan is looking to build on the romney's campaign momentum from last week's presidential debate while joe biden will try and slow it. straight ahead, our political

team of david gregory and chuck todd weighs on what to expect. and we'll break down the results of our new presidential polls in the all-important battleground states of florida, ohio, and virginia. or as chuck calls them flova. also today, an investigation tied to the safety of the foods you eat. private companies carry out most of the inspections at plants nationwide. in many cases, they are failing to stop the spread of some very dangerous, sometimes even deadly illnesses. we're going to have the results of our investigation. all right. and then we'll have a little added excitement at a high school football game in texas. have you seen this? a 16-year-old cheerleader doing 35, yes, 35, consecutive hand springs. her goal, to break a guinness world record. coming up, we'll meet her and she'll show us how she does it, if we have enough room. >> i think we're going to run out of space. we'll check her out in a little while. let us begin, though, on a thursday morning with tonight's big political showdown with vice president joe biden and

congressman paul ryan. ron mott in danville, kentucky, hi, ron. >> reporter: good morning to you. this is the day that the number twos become the number ones. tonight vice president joe biden and paul ryan taking center stage at centre college and both men say they're ready to go. >> you ready for tomorrow? >> reporter: after one final debate plan session in florida, paul ryan emerged wednesday sporting a sweet tooth and an appetite for the fight with the vice president. even flexed his muscles for "time" magazine. a photo shoot from last year heading back to newsstands. >> he's one of the most extreme debater in modern politics, but the achilles heel he has is president obama's record. and i'm looking forward to giving the american people a clear choice. >> reporter: ryan stepped off his plane and into a rock star's welcome in kentucky signing autographs, posing for pictures. his opponent, vice president joe biden is scheduled to arrive later today having prepped for

battle by consuming all things ryan. his speeches, his budget, his book. >> i just want to make sure that when i see these things that i don't have the congressman saying, no, no, no, i don't have that position or that's not the governor's position. >> reporter: many expect tonight's debate to feature the kind of fireworks largely absent last week in denver. ryan said he's ready for mr. biden to come at him like quote, a cannonball in an effort to even the score. >> romney had a good night, i had a bad night. >> reporter: the president, whose debate performance was widely panned, he vowed to be more active. cite sizing the former governor's punches in an interview from abc news. >> governor romney went through a lot of trouble to try to hide his positions because he knows those ideas have been rejected. they won't work. and if he's making an honest presentation about what he's proposed, he will lose. >> reporter: considered the big winner in that first debate, mr. romney has faced a larger, more

enthusiastic crowd ever since. campaigning wednesday in the critical battleground state of ohio, trailing in the polls, but narrowing the gap. >> and the key thing i want people across ohio to understand and to ask themselves as you go into the voting booth, as you vote is can we really afford the cost of barack obama? and the answer is no. >> reporter: now tonight's debate will be a town hall format with questions coming from members of the audience. it will focus on both domestic and foreign issues. savannah? >> ron mott, thank you. so what should we expect tonight? david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." and chuck todd is the chief white house correspondent. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> let's start with your new poll. florida, ohio, and virginia. the battleground states, we'll put the results on the screen. and what we see is a tight, tight dead heat in florida and in virginia. in ohio, you still see the president hanging on to a lead. i guess you could say that romney has the trend line but ohio is still a problem for him.

>> it is. and the biggest finding in our ohio poll, savannah is the early vote. 1 in 5 ohio voters according to our survey have already voted. and among those folks, the president leads 2 to 1 margin, 60 over 60% that he gets from those who have already voted. and that is an advantage. we know they've been talking about that. and that is why, for instance, our likely voters, we have a lot more democrats than maybe some people think will end up in the ohio poll and that's because a lot of democrats have already voted. another factor in all three of these polls, savannah is that over 90% said the debates made no difference in their vote. it was something about 6%, 7% respectively who said the debates matter to their votes. that is while not as helpful to romney as he might have hoped. >> so the debate had maybe not as much of an impact. where do they stand in terms of favorability ratings? >> well, there is some good news for romney. he's now right side up, more

people have a favorable view of him. but a negative rating in ohio. more people have an unfavorable view of him in ohio than a favorable one. and that's why you'll see him spend a lot of time there. he has narrowed that gap from eight points down to six. he's going to have to get that personal favorable rating. and the president has been pounding him with negative ads. >> where do you see the president's job approval in this poll? >> well, the one thing i would say is a yellow flag for the president is that job approval rating, particularly in ohio. so in florida and virginia, the job approval is at 48%, about matches his ballot. that's what happens, what your job approval rating is and what you end up on a general election ballot is usually the same number. in ohio, he's at 51%, but his job rating's at 47%. it's unusual to overperform your job rating that high. if you're the romney folks, you look at that 47% figure and think, you know what? we've got a real shot here. >> let's bring david into this.

as you well know, vice presidential debates are often more political theater than decisive in the race. does tonight have the potential to be different? >> well, it has the potential to certainly be explosive because these are two guys who know their stuff. they'reoing to go after each other. these are now momentum affairs. that's what you saw. notwithstanding the fact that a lot of people in the swing states that chuck mentioned have already made up their minds. we've got undecided voters, softly committed voters, there's volatility in the race. these debates can move the race and we saw that with some of these tightening numbers for romney. still, the undercard, joe biden has one job tonight. that is to slow romney's momentum. he can do that by debating ryan to a draw. and also being more aggressive. make no mistake, this is going to be a precursor for what we'll see next tuesday. because aides for the president say he's going to have a lot more energy, be more aggressive. he watched the tape of the last video, he gets it and knows he has to come out differently. >> is there any danger that biden overcompensates,

overlearns the lesson of the last debate? >> no question about it. but i think typically these kinds of debates usually are contested to a draw. i think that biden wants to be aggressive, could be overly aggressive, wants to focus on the 47%, wants to sort of draw out ryan in a way who is, after all, an architect in many ways, the conservative thought on budget, taxes and spending. >> all right, david gregory, chuck todd, thank you. we'll all be up late tonight, you can watch the vice presidential debate, 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific on nbc. let's get to other stories making headlines this morning, for that we say good morning to natalie. >> good morning, everyone. now to the disturbing news out of colorado. police have recovered a body near the home of jessica ridgeway. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, good morning. and police released few details late last night. they would not confirm the age or even the gender of the body that was recovered.

answers they hope to give publicly very shortly. the body was discovered in a rural, open area, a location dotted with abandoned coal mine shafts. investigators spent hours at the crime scene wednesday and wednesday night released few details. >> the body was discovered near the patridge park open space in the city of arvada. at this time, we're unable to make any connection to the disappearance of jessica ridgeway. >> reporter: 10-year-old jessica ridgeway vanished nearly a week ago today. the fifth grader last seen walking to school friday morning. police have scoured her neighborhood, nearby fields, and waterways. investigators working jessica's abduction help process the crime scene where the body was found some 7 miles from jessica's home and 11 miles from where her backpack was found sunday. detectives have said they don't believe jessica's parents are involved in her disappearance.

her mother and father spoke out just days ago. >> we'll never stop looking. >> i want her to come back through that door. i need her to walk back through that door. >> reporter: overnight, there has been no comment from jessica's family. we expect to hear from police in about an hour and a half. it's quite possible we'll have a much better indication if that body does belong to the missing 10-year-old, an entire community here holding their collective breath as they pray for little jessica. natalie. >> and we'll have that update later on. miguel, thanks. another attack outside a u.s. embassy. this time in yemen's capital city of sanaa killing the yemeni chief. a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire and then took off. according to officials, the attack appears to be typical of al qaeda. meantime, last month's deadly assault on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya, is stirring a fiery debate on capitol hill. a house committee investigating

the attack heard from two men who had protected ambassador chris stevens before he was killed in that raid. they testified that they repeatedly requested more security but were turned down. meantime, senior state department official patrick kennedy fumed when asked if the white house had put pressure on him to avoid calling it terrorism. an amazing rescue this morning in miami where a construction worker was pulled out alive from a collapsed parking garage 13 hours after getting trapped inside. he's in critical condition, two others were killed, and there is still one worker missing. new trouble this morning for the massachusetts drug company linked to the outbreak of meningitis, but has killed 12 people and sickened more than 130 others. massachusetts governor duvall patrick says the new england compounding center may have misled regulators and worked outside the parameters of the state license. the pharmacy made steroid injections that were found to be contaminated with the fungal strain of meningitis. the company has since shut down.

now let's head to wall street. kayla tausche is here for us. foreclosures at a five year low? >> that's right, natalie. foreclosures declined again in september. continuing a two-year decline, and hitting the lowest point since before the financial crisis as home prices are rising. but not all states saw improvement. more than two dozen states have more than the average of distressed homes. in europe, fears of recession are growing as spain's credit rating is cut, and also on wall street, they're watching oil prices, a roller coaster ride for prices, but not translating to the pump just yet. your national average at $3.81. natalie? >> thanks. and there is nothing he can't do, apparently, bocelli, one of the greatest opera singer alive, but apparently the blind tenner can roller blade too. with a little help from his wife on a bike, he just keeps rolling along. and it is now 7:13, back to

savannah, matt, and al. he's also ridden a bicycle, as well with some help. >> i can't even -- >> exactly. >> that's good stuff. natalie, thank you. >> and you can't sing. >> i cannot sing. that's for sure. >> we've got two on you. mr. roker, check of the weather? >> well, we are looking at some fairly interesting weather going on out west. bringing a lot of rain into southern california and the southwest. and it's going to continue to do that over the next 12 hours. it's going to start to make its way to the east, it's going to bring in a lot of moisture from the southwest. and as it does, that rainfall's going to really start to pick up, 1 to 2 inches of rain in some spots making its way into the southwest. and as it moves to the east, looking at a risk of severe weather especially as we head into saturday in the midwest. >> it is going to turn out to be a pretty nice day today.

we will see plenty of sunshine as we head through this thursday. expect that's your latest weather. matt? we're now learning more about the u.s. anti-doping agency's case against lance armstrong that led to the seven-time tour de france winner's life-time ban from the sport. he's denied cheating and long asked for proof. and now the agency is providing it. nbc's mike taibbi has more on this. >> good morning, matt. in no less than 1,000 pages of evidence and testimony, including lab tests and sworn statements by armstrong's teammates, the icon is painted as a user and supplier for the team of performance-enhancing drugs. also described as the leader of

what the usda calls the most sophisticated and professionalized doping program in recent sports history. from 1999 on, lance armstrong won seven straight tour de france titles. he'd risen from the pinnacle from the death rattle of cancer. it made armstrong among the most recognizable, influential, and wealthy athletes in the world. but the usada says championships he collected while running with the u.s. postal service team were won by cheating. >> he was the leader on the team. the team built its success, doping and otherwise, around him, to ensure he won those tour de frances. >> the agency says retesting of blood samples taken as far back from 1999 showed a clear finding of epo. 11 of his teammates testified, several saying in sworn states they had direct knowledge that armstrong used drugs of said he gave them drugs.

armstrong's best friend on the team said he was aware that lance was using testosterone, epo, and blood transfusions. and tyler hamilton told matt on "today" what he told the agency, that are armstrong once paid his way out of a positive drug test. >> it's the truth. it's the truth. >> reporter: armstrong has denied doping allegations for years, even addressing the subject in one of his commercials for nike. >> everybody wants to know what i'm on. what am i on? i'm on my bike six hours a day. what are you on? >> reporter: but armstrong declined to challenge the agency's findings and says he will no longer address this issue regardless of the circumstances. his live strong charity, which has raised nearly $500 million for cancer research hasn't suffered so far. >> we've raised two times what is normal. >> reporter: and speaking of an era in pro cycling, when almost every top rider has admitted or suspected of cheating,

armstrong's lawyer said all of armstrong's accusers would agree on one thing. >> that armstrong was the best, the most talented, the most gifted, the hardest working, and the most focused rider who on a level playing field would've won everything that he won. >> and what has armstrong lost? well, the chance to race again competitively, perhaps millions in prize money that he's won, and for many, a good part of his gold-plated reputation. but he still has the live strong charity in support of so many who see him as a leader in the fight against cancer. in fact, late wednesday, he tweeted to his millions of followers, what am i doing tonight? hanging with my family unaffected and thinking about this. and he linked to the live strong site. matt? >> mike, thank you very much. it's 18 after the hour. here's savannah. >> thank you. a quiet town in maine is being rocked by an alleged prostitution scandal. a zumba dance teacher accused of

running a brothel out of her studio. and police say she secretly taped the encounters. katie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this is a small town made even smaller during the offseason. and with word of over 100 men could be named in a prostitution scandal centered around this local zumba studio, they are bracing for the worst. >> reporter: it's a picture-perfect, postcard town. known for its beautiful summer escapes, for the bush family, the vacation compound. but what the locals around here do not know is the talk of the town. a list of more than 100 men, some said to be prominent members of the community in a little black book of johns who prosecutors argue were paying to have sex with the local zumba dance teacher. >> people are chattering they just want names.

>> reporter: in court on tuesday, alexis wright pleaded not guilty to 106 counts of prostitution, tax evasion, theft, and privacy violations. >> not guilty. >> the fact of the matter is, rumors around town are not evidence of criminal activity. and moaning and groaning and sexual activity with adults isn't criminal activity. >> reporter: locals told them they'd seen men going in and out of the studio at all hours. often only for a half an hour. court papers say there are also hours of secret video recordings of the sexual encounters along with text messages and computer records. allegedly including video of multiple sexual activities between wright and her business partner mark strong who himself is facing 59 counts of promoting prostitution and privacy

violation. >> they were inside the studio and she was naked. but that is not a crime under maine law nor is it prostitution. it may not be good judgment, but it's not -- it's not actionable by the state. >> reporter: prosecutors believe wright and strong made $150,000 since 2010 in the scheme. now the town is bracing for the fallout. big town drama, small town trauma. >> reporter: and wright's lawyer says she has a young son who is still in her custody. she's charged with theft for allegedly lying on her tax returns and claiming she needed public assistance. as for those names, well, they could come out later this week. savannah? >> all right, thank you. coming up, "today" investigates, are the companies that inspect our nation's food plants doing enough to keep you safe? and justin bieber, the latest celebrity victim of a disturbing prank. a s.w.a.t. team showing up at his door. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. it has been decided. state delegate tiffany alston will serve a suspension from office without pay or benefits. it was concluded that the prince george's county democrat should be automatically suspended upon a judge's sentencing. she is alleged to have paid

wedding expenses with campaign funds. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> checking on that accident. it has been cleared on the west side. the damage is done 15 miles per hour on the outer loop of the west corner. southbound 795, we have delays as well. falls road at mount carmel, watch for the crash. delays on the harrisburg expressway from middletown down to mount carmel. let's give you a live view of traffic. we will update you at greenspring. just beyond greenspring, reisterstown road, that is when to delays start to develop. inner loop traffic is not bad. 295 south, looking at delays

down to 32. tony, over to you. >> nice, quiet start this thursday morning. temperature's only make it into the those 60's this afternoon. 45 at the airport. 38 in taneytown. same thing in emmitsburg. pennsylvania line, you guys are starting out in the 30's. a little breeze out of the northwest. high temperatures range between 60 and 65 degrees.

♪ you're like me, this makes you dizzy to watch this. this is 16-year-old texas cheerleader miranda ferguson attempting to break the guinness world record for the most consecutive hand springs. should we give it away? >> she's still going. >> she did 35 in all. that is three better than the previous mark. and you know what? she has made her way to new york and she's joining us this morning. she arrived at our studio just a short time ago. and apparently this is something that is in her dna. >> i guess she's in the mood to flip. >> i know.

>> look at this. right through the studio lobby. >> i half expect her to come in here. >> and she is going to show us her stuff out on the plaza live in a couple of minutes. 35 hand springs in a row. >> i think you would get a little dizzy. don't eat breakfast before that stunt. inside studio 1a now, 7:30 on a thursday morning, october 11th, 2012. also ahead, a dangerous and costly prank and targeted at celebrities. the latest victim, justin bieber. a s.w.a.t. team showed up at his door, just a week after it happened to ashton kutcher. coming up, the search for who is behind this prank. and then an ancient wonder. one of egypt's iconic pyramids being reopened to the public. given the recent unrest in the country, a lot of people wondering will tourists check it out? will they check it out? we'll be there live. and a qvc host collapses during a live show. a lot of people have watched this online.

they want to know why it is that her co-host kept on selling during that moment and how she's doing now. this morning, we're going to get the story behind it from the woman who fainted. you see she's doing great. we won't even ask the question of what you would do if i passed out on air. keep going, the show must go on. >> sell those earrings. let's begin this half hour with a "today" investigation. 3,000 americans died after eating tainted food last year alone. another 48 million were sickened. well, this morning, nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers has new information on why going to your supermarket may be a little more dangerous than you think. lisa, good morning. >> good morning, matt. the u.s. food and drug administration, the agency responsible for food safety actually inspects only 6% of food facilities in this country. most inspections conducted to be sure our food is safe are done by private companies, hired by the food industry. and the new investigation reveals that in too many cases, they failed to stop illnesses and death.

>> it was terrifying not knowing, not being able to do anything. just holding her in my arms. she had a fever, she wouldn't move, she wouldn't eat. and it's something no parent should have to go through. >> melissa lee's then 10-month-old ruby became desperately ill last summer after eating ground turkey tainted with salmonella. she's now 2 and healthy, but her doctors say she may later have respiratory problems. two different private inspectors gave the cargo plant which processed the turkey top safety ratings before and even during its recall of ground turkey. cargill says it's not sure where the salmonella originated. we go to great lengths to make our meat safe, but there's no silver bullet to kill all bacteria. >> you shouldn't have to worry what you're eating's going to kill you. >> reporter: an investigation discovered that in this and other deadly outbreaks involving cantaloupe, eggs, and peanut

butter, the producer had been given sterling safety ratings by private inspectors. >> we found case after case where private inspectors were going in and saying everything was fine and great even if people were dying or right before they died, which shows there's something wrong with the system. >> reporter: he lost his 92-year-old father paul after he ate a cantaloupe tainted last year and died three months later. >> it's mind-boggling that something like that could happen in our country. >> reporter: it was the deadliest outbreak of food-borne disease in the u.s. in 100 years. 33 killed and 147 sickened. a private inspector had given the company which produced the contaminated cantaloupes, jensen farms a superior safety rating, 96%. >> what does it tell you about the quality of inspections if jensen farms can receive 96 out of 100 the month before it's shipping cantaloupe that end up killing your father? >> there wasn't much of an

inspection. there wasn't much at all. >> reporter: there are no federal standards for these private inspections known as third-party audits. and in many cases, they don't involve any scientific tests. most merely confirm that elements of food safety programs are in place. after many became ill, the fda inspected the jensen farms processing area and found listeria. many families are now suing the company. jensen farms declined to comment but in court filings denied it sold listeria contaminated cantaloupe. food producers have taken matters into their own hands. >> reporter: 6 years ago, the farm here in california was badly shaken when e. coli in spinach packed at its plant sickened 200 and killed three, including a 2-year-old boy. the company turned that tragedy into resolve, to make its product safer. >> when i heard about the 2-year-old passing away, it

brought myself and my wife to our knees and tears shed in our family room. it was emotionally devastating to myself and all of our employees. >> reporter: earthbound ceo has since put in place a comprehensive multi-layer testing program. >> reporter: what is this field? >> this will be our baby lettuces. >> reporter: within hours of being harvested, greens are tested for illness-causing bacteria. anything with a trace of pathogens gets thrown away. then after the ready-to-eat greens are washed and dried, they're tested again before being packaged and shipped for salad. in the last six years, the company has had no recalls. the added cost, 10 to 15 cents a package. does it surprise you that more people aren't doing this? >> i am a little surprised. >> reporter: knowing what you know, what worries you the most? >> the biggest concern is when i think back to '06, i never want to have to have another consumer go through that with the product that we produce. so i just want to make sure we're doing all we can.

>> reporter: the fda told us it's now working on strengthening the food safety system to prevent outbreaks before they occur. the agency says that means more and better fda inspections and setting science-based standards to make companies more accountable for ensuring their products are safe. matt? >> lisa myers in washington this morning, thank you very much for that. let's get a check of the weather now from mr. roker out on the plaza getting ready to do some handsprings of his own with that cheerleader. >> i don't think so. not going to happen. now, this lady would. you're -- now your mom was a teacher. >> georgetown, in the teacher hall of fame, and thank you for writing that letter for her. >> thank you so much. warm thoughts, but chilly around the good portion of the country. the jet stream is way up to the west and to the north as you make your way out west. but that upper level low keeps temperatures below normal down to the south. but up in the plains, look at how cold it's going to be.

temperatures in the mid-40s to upper 30s. and here in the northeast, temperatures below normal, as well. as we check out today's weather, we are looking at snow showers around the western great lakes. morning showers in the northeast. more heavy rain down through the southwest. beautiful day in the pacific northwest, plenty of sunshine, slight risk of strong storms along the missouri/arkansas border. what's her name? >> victoria. >> very sweet. >> it is going to be a quiet you know it's a good day when you've got folks bringing

badger hats. savannah? >> all right, al. thank you so much. and now we turn to some tense moments at justin bieber's home in california. a s.w.a.t. team sent to the pop star's house after an alarming call to 911. andrea canning is here with the details on this. good morning. >> good morning. first of all the teens and tweens can take a deep breath. he's okay. normally when the s.w.a.t. team shows up, something is really wrong. and celebrities can be moving targets. but in this case, bieber was never in any danger. just a victim of a new pranking trend known as s.w.a.t.ing. it can be a terrifying scene, the s.w.a.t. team, helicopters, rushing to the house of a celebrity thinking they're in danger. the latest victim of so-called s.w.a.t.ing, justin bieber. police deputies rushed to the star's home in calabasas, california, on wednesday after an emergency message claimed someone inside had a weapon. the message was delivered via a

tty device. it's a device typically used by the deaf to type text over the telephone. the 18-year-old pop star wasn't at home at the time and police soon determined the call was a hoax. last week, armed police were sent to ashton kutcher's lake hollywood home after a woman contacted the emergency services to report she was hiding in a closet because a man with a gun had broken into the property. kutcher was not at home at the time and later tweeted he was safe and sound. but the incident reportedly cost taxpayers around $10,000. back in august, police were called to actress miley cyrus' studio city home after a caller reported several people were being held hostage after a shooting. the call was also quickly deemed a hoax, but drew a significant police response. the s.w.a.t.'ing prank is another in incident in a difficult week for justin bieber. on wednesday, the pop star tweeted to his nearly 29 million followers that he and his tour

manager were victims of theft. after personal footage on a computer and a camera were taken during a show in tacoma, washington, on tuesday, he went on to tweet. sucks when you take personal footage and people don't respect your privacy. >> the people carrying out these pranks are using software that masks their phone numbers and apps that even alter their voices, so it's very difficult to catch them. and s.w.a.t.'ing, not just for celebrities, there are around 400 incidents a year. and regular people are falling victim, as well. and it's kind of evil. >> i'm trying to figure out if we committed a fashion crime with our clashing prints this morning. >> i love our dresses today. >> we're on the same wavelength. still ahead, the halloween costume flying off the shelves thanks to the presidential race. and up next, one of the ancient pyramids of egypt reopening to the public. i was living with this all-over pain. a deep, throbbing, persistent ache.

my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain.

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well, this is one of those locations in the world that needs no explanation. the pyramids at giza are an incredible sight, especially in person. tourism in egypt is the second largest industry, or at least it used to be until the revolution. after that, people concerned about security stopped showing up here. the opening of the pyramid is the new government's latest effort to reinvite the world back to the pharros. 4,000 years later, they are the hope of a country looking to rebuild. after a long, slow restoration, the egyptian government is reopening the pyramid to the public along with six ancient tombs hoping to jolt a struggling industry. tourism here dropped a third after the arab spring. what better way to bring visitors back than to give them access to one of the world's greatest wonders. >> fantastic. absolutely fantastic.

>> reporter: some historians believe the fourth dynasty built his pyramid just a hair shorter than his father's out of respect. although not as high as the great pyramid, it is no less grand. it is the only one still capped by the original limestone blocks. inside, the millennia old passage ways are newly ventilated. it's no less claustrophobic. >> can you do something about the height of these passage ways? he has worked as an archaeologist here for 13 years. >> so this is a message for us. for the whole of the world. come, we are ready for you. egypt is ready. >> reporter: the passage way leads to the burial chamber, carved directly out of the bedrock. >> there was a legend that a blue-eyed spirit protected the pyramid, but didn't prevent the graverobbers from coming in and stealing just about everything, except this sarcophagus, black

granite carried originally from hundreds of miles away. the new government has made tourism a priority, but battling events unfolding around him outside his control. like the violent attack against the u.s. embassy last month after the release of the now infamous anti-islam film. and the state department's latest travel advisory that warns female missionaries they might be targeted by terrorists. reports of christians being prosecuted for their religion don't help egypt's image either. but he believes the most powerful, positive message the country can send is here. >> i'm so optimistic, i believe everything will be good. >> reporter: one of many egyptians putting their faith in the future . what happens on the streets of cairo has a direct and immediate effect here at giza. the director here told us that the afternoon after that u.s. embassy attack, they started

receiving cancellations for tours. matt? >> stephanie gosk in giza, egypt this morning. stephanie, thank you very much. still ahead, a recipe for meatballs. but up next, a cheerleader who performed 35 consecutive handsprings. her moves live on the plaza right after this. ♪

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who back flipped her way to possibly a guinness book of world record. she wowed the crowd at her high school football game attempting the record for most consecutive handsprings. the old mark was 32. miranda, you did 35. i know you're freezing this morning. >> you're freezing, i'm freezing. >> miranda, what made you decide to go for the record? >> i really just wanted to raise a lot of spirit for my team and bring some fans out. and i thought it would be good. >> when you started this, do you count in your head? or did you hear the crowd chanting? >> i think it's a little bit of both. i do count in my head, but i hear them and that encourages me to keep going. >> at what point between 0 and 35 do you start getting really dizzy? >> around 25. i was pretty exhausted. >> do you get tired? >> very. >> and apparently, i mean, you're possibly setting the record here. when do you find out you really did it? >> i think in the next few days or so. >> you're 16, right? >> yes. >> so you're going to get bigger and stronger.

do you have some even larger number in mind that eventually you'll do 50 or something like that? >> i really hope so. i'd like to keep working to get that kind of number. >> all right. so this is not a long enough space for you to do the full 35, right? >> no. >> how many do you think you can do here? >> i'm thinking maybe 25. >> okay. should we give her a chance to do it. >> let me take my jacket back. >> we're going to take this. >> good luck. go get 'em. >> come on, miranda. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. >> stop, miranda.

>> but she never even stopped when she went on the cobblestone here. >> she -- >> now do it on the way back. >> no, no, no, don't do that. don't do that. >> you can run on back if you want. >> come on, run down here, miran miranda. >> great job. a big thank you for miranda. we'll be right back with the story of the qvc host who fainted. it was like a red rash...

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news. in. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell. >> still recovering from a west side accident on the outer loop at liberty. down to 12 miles per hour. the west side delay pickens approaching reisterstown all the way down. southbound 795 out of owings mills, 12 miles per hour on the northeast outer loop. not carmel road, watch for an accident. humid tied up on an accident

seat at kingsville. further south, watch for a crash at mayo road. west side, coming towards us is out of traffic. it is just inching along. delays in both directions. here is what it looks like it are for. -- harford. that is the very latest on traffic pulse 11. tony, over to you. >> we are off to a quiet start, weather-wise. temperatures are starting out in the 30's and 40's. 38 and 8 taneytown 341 in parkton. 50 downtown, 51 degrees in annapolis. mostly sunny skies, a little cooler for this time of year, but not bad. the average height is 68. that will be the theme going into the weekend. there could be some frost on

sunday morning. temperatures dip into the 30's and in the northwest suburbs. next chance for rain on monday.

8:00 now on this thursday morning, 11th of october, 2012. our crowd has come out to say hello on rockefeller plaza. beautiful day. 52 degrees, though. fall is definitely in the air. >> it's going to be chilly tonight for game of the yankees series over at yankee stadium. yankees up 2-1 over the orioles. >> last night was epic. >> one of those games they're going to talk about for a long time for a lot of different reasons. >> all right. well, good morning. just ahead, a scary moment on live television, you may have

seen it, actually. >> that's right. a qvc host fainted on live television, her co-host there trying to catch her. now, we're going to find out how she's doing. i want to mention that the show got a little bit of heat because her co-host actually just kept on selling stuff. although, we're going to find out the story behind the story when we talk to her in a couple of minutes. >> there's a little more to it too. and imagine ordering something online and it arrives the very same day. i like the sound of that. instant gratification, being tested at one major retailer. holiday season fast approaching. we'll have more on that. and then, are you ready for meatball madness? yes, gianna is here. it is time. in fact, you make this for sunday night football night in america. you've got the best of both worlds, meatball madness. >> smells great, actually. >> a little unusual in terms of ingredients she uses in her own special meatball. >> that's why it's madness. >> exactly. and dance moves, right? we want to talk about the contest.

show us your moves today. we're hoping folks will send in videos of their best dance moves. do you see us dancing all the time? it's not good. well, matt -- >> they can barely stop me. >> i've seen a few disco moves from you. >> that's right. five finalists, a live dance-off on october 26th. go to today.com for all the details. >> pretty exciting. >> yes, it is. lots to get to. >> but first, we get to natalie morales over at the news desk. the campaign spotlight has shifted to the vice presidential candidates for tonight's showdown between joe biden and paul ryan. the debate in kentucky will be the only one between the two men. ryan says he expects vice president biden to come at him, quote, like a cannonball to try to even the score. andou can watch the vice presidential debate tonight at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific right here on nbc. investigators searching for

denver area schoolgirl jessica ridgeway discovered a body wednesday in a rural area, about 7 miles from jessica's home and 11 miles from where her backpack was found on sunday. police said earlier they believed the 10-year-old had been kidnapped by an unknown suspect. after leaving for her walk to school last friday. turkish fighter jets intercepted a syrian passenger plane wednesday and forced it to land in turkey where officials say they removed military communications equipment destined for syrian government forces. the flight originated in moscow. the incident came after several days of shelling between syria and turkey, raised fears that syria's civil war could spread beyond its borders. lance armstrong's attorney says a new report on doping allegations against the seven-time tour de france winner is quote, a one-sided hatchet job. details released wednesday by the u.s. anti-doping agency include the names of 11 former teammates who accused armstrong

of using performance-enhancing drugs and pressuring fellow cycling team members to do the same. armstrong who has insisted he never cheated did not fight the latest charges. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick round of what has you trending online. big bird could be more popular than angry birds this halloween. a surge in big bird sales ever since mitt romney mentioned him in last week's presidential debate. well, youtube has struck gold with this video of pop icon rick springfield performing his 1981 hit "jessie's girl" wednesday. underground fans sang along. ♪ you know i wish i had jessie's girl ♪ ♪ i wish i that i had jessie's girl ♪ >> springfield also dropped in on kathie lee and hoda to

promote his new documentary yesterday. and check out this pop culture collision on the film junkie show, reenacted a scene from reality hit "here comes honey boo boo." >> nobody's here to deal with it. >> it's been a while since i've had road kill in my belly. >> so, you know, we try to make other kinds of foods like, you know, sketti. >> i want butter, sketti and ketch-up. >> it's an old family recipe. >> walken was playing the role of the mom june. it's 8:05 right now. let's go back outside to savannah and matt. need more. >> i see an emmy in their future. >> no question. natalie, thank you. mr. roker down the plaza on a chilly morning. >> we are, we've got our friends

all bundled up. where are you guys from? >> tennessee originally. >> what's the eh? >> i just moved to canada. >> all right. very nice. we like that. bob and doug mackenzie, we like it. let's show you what's happening as far as your weather is concerned. pick city today l.a., showers, thunderstorms, 66 degrees, not used to that. as we show you our satellite radar. a lot of wet weather, this upper level low spinning around, bringing that wet weather to the south lands and the southwest. also a frontal system bringing snow showers through the u.p. of michigan and parts of the upper midwest. look for breezy conditions here in the northeast with some morning showers. gulf coast looking pretty darn good. that's what's going on aro >> it is going to turn out to be a pretty nice day today. we will see plenty of sunshine as we head through this thursday.

expect that's your latest weather. mr. lauer. >> all right. when we come back, the qvc host who fainted on live television. we'll find out how she's doing right after these messages. [ male announcer ] there's everyday chicken and then there's juicy chicken with hellmann's ♪ hellmann's is the secret to making parmesan crusted chicken... [ bell dings ] ...so crispy so juicy so delicious it's your secret to making dinner disappear hellmann's. bring out the best

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back now at 8:11 with a scary moment that happened on live television over the weekend. qvc co-host kathy had only been on the air a couple of minutes when she started to waver, she patted her chest, and suddenly she collapsed. here's what it looked like at the time. and she is now -- >> you okay? >> -- with us. kathy, good morning. nice to see you upright, i should say that. how are you feeling? >> i feel really good. you know, i feel good. i just want to thank everyone who has reached out to me on twitter and facebook. it's been really overwhelming. >> i know you're a mom, you've got three children, it was early in the morning on sunday.

you hadn't had a lot to eat. >> yeah, i ran out the door, grabbed something quick and went on my way, you know. my daughter was up late that night teething. i have three kids under the age of 4. so as a working mom, you just forget to take care of yourself sometimes. >> i was going to say, this sounds more like exhausted mom situation more than anything more serious. but just to make everybody feel better, there's nothing bigger going on. >> absolutely not, no. it's nothing bigger. it went to see the doctor, and everything's okay. >> for how long did you know you were about to pass out? is this something you were thinking, oh, my god, i'm feeling light-headed, this is not going to go well? >> i was starting to feel lightheaded, i sat down for a second and gained my composure and i thought i was okay enough to go back on. and the producers and medics there were sort of like, why don't you stay sitting, and i just said no, i think i can finish the segment and i got back up. but obviously that's not what happened. >> let's clear something up. one of the reasons this went

viral is because people were having some fun and in some cases criticizing your co-host there because he went on selling the product. now, explain what was really happening behind the scenes, in his defense. >> he's one of my really good friends. i think people are envisioning him stepping over my limp body selling products. you know, but in fact, i was being taken care of by two medics, three producers, i told him to please keep going, keep going. i'm fine. you know, he's been in touch with me. i think he handled it really professionally, and he's a very good friend and a good man. >> so he's taking a little unfair heat as a result of this. >> yeah. unfair. >> which raises the question, what would you have done had he passed out? >> a question matt asks himself daily around here. >> i don't know, you know, i think it's a really tough situation. i think he was trying not to draw even more attention to it. he didn't want to embarrass me further. so i think he just did the best he could and i've been in touch with him, and he's a good, real

professional. >> is it true until this morning you hadn't rewatched that video? >> no, my mother and sister saw it, they were crying when they saw it. they said don't watch it, my husband says i don't think you should watch it. and i really haven't. >> so did you see it as we -- >> i see it, it's -- i lived it, so i don't need to see it. >> the good news is with youtube, you won't have to see it. you'll never see it again. great meeting you. and i'm happy you're okay. >> thank you so much. >> yeah, thanks. meantime, we'll take a turn. of course not even halloween, but the holiday retail wars are heating up. walmart is going after amazon.com, testing same-day delivery for online orders. let's get to more. janet, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, savannah, yeah, you've got the two giants of retail duking it out for the holiday dollar. and because the shoppers love the convenience of buying something from their home. but we love that instant gratification of getting hour hands on it right away. whomever masters the same-day

delivery will be the real winner. >> reporter: that's the sound of the way we often shop these days. online and from the comfort of our home. internet purchases were a $200 billion pie last year and a slice of it is heating up the holidays. walmart, the nation's largest retailer wants to feed the need for instant gratification, testing a $10, same-day delivery on some 5,000 products. everything from toys to flat-panel tvs, all without having to look for a parking spot. >> i think it's a great idea. i really feel that's going to be real competitive advantage for them, especially going into the holiday season. >> walmart to go as they're calling it is a shot across the bow of amazon.com, the world's largest online retailer, which itself is aiming for a same-day delivery. the seller's going head-to-head. >> one thing i like better about amazon versus walmart is the actual -- the layout of their

website. i think it's a little bit easier to follow. >> because i know walmart and i'm comfortable with walmart, i trust them more than amazon. >> reporter: walmart's testing the service in minneapolis, philly, northern virginia, and adding san francisco area next month. amazon already offers same-day on products in ten cities, including boston, chicago, vegas, and seattle. the fight for those point and click dollars could come down to the old real estate rule of thumb. location, location, location. it's early in the testing, but with 4,000 stores, walmart could conceivably offer same-day almost everywhere. by year's end, amazon's distribution centers will total about 60. >> whether you started out online or you started out in store, you have to straddle both of those spheres. and you have to do it well if you want to win those consumer dollars. and walmart realizes that it's going to have to play ball with amazon. it's goliath versus goliath. >> reporter: there is no guarantee that walmart is going

to roll this out nationwide. and in fact, analysts suggest it could be financially risky. because when you're offering just $10 to ship something and you're offering to ship flat-panel tvs, well, savannah, you don't need an analyst to tell you that is not going to be a money-making transaction. at least that one. >> you've got to love the convenience. thanks so much. coming up next, gianna shares her secret to the perfect meatball. and al is interested in the set. coming up after this. ♪ ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah ♪ i love ya ♪ ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah [ female announcer ] introducing new special k popcorn chips. with 28 buttery chips for 120 calories, you can bring the flavor of the movies home and still stay on track. freedom to enjoy. what will you gain when you lose?

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that's my favorite part about the car. i like the navigation. i like the entune. and it's fast. [ male announcer ] see ja ne't's story and more at the camry effect. from toyota. ♪ this morning on cooking with giada today, meatballs, chefs whipping up thousands of them for an event tonight called giada's meatball madness. part of the new york city wine and food festival. what makes a perfect meatball? giada is here to show us. good morning. nice to see you. >> thank you. >> what makes you besides the fact you're italian and a chef the perfect judge for a contest? >> you would think it's out of the box for me. but quite frankly, i grew up on a lot of meatballs, and i think i know my stuff. >> is this a family recipe?

>> sort of. >> you've changed a little bit. >> because classic italian meatballs are made with three different types of meat. >> none of that in here. talk to me about the ingredients. >> basically i'm going to use turkey all around. and i know most people think -- >> three different kinds. >> two different kinds. we're going to use dark meat turkey, ground, dark meat turkey, and a spicy italian turkey sausage. >> okay. >> let's get started on this. my sort of tip for making meatballs, the number one tip is to mix all your seasoning in first before you add the meat. >> the reason for that is. >> so you get these light and fluffy and melt-in-your mouth -- >> so you're not working with it too much -- >> a lot of people like to dump everything on top of the meat. >> tell me exactly what you start with in there. >> bread crumbs. >> normal bread crumbs? >> yep. tomato paste. i'm going to dump the basil and parsley, a little color, a little fresh herb, parmesan cheese, egg. >> all of it? >> yeah. >> the basics are in here.

two eggs, everybody's got their own little mix, but the basics is that. the eggs keep it altogether. a little milk, and a little bit of salt. all the milk to keep it nice and moist. >> great. and the last thing you do is add your turkey. >> mix that all together really well to break up those eggs. go, go. have you ever made meatballs before? >> no. >> i didn't think so. >> so you've got a pound of dark meat turkey and it's got to be dark meat because you need the fat in it. all the fat you would get from beef and pork, i'm going to add a pound of -- >> there you go. >> of spicy italian turkey meatball sausage. >> would you work this with your hands? >> yeah. >> i want to make sure because it wasn't working with the rubber spatula. >> what we're going to do is mix it all with your hands because you can kind of feel it and understand when it's all mixed really well. >> all right. when you're going to actually form your meatballs, you have this ice cream scoop?

>> i'm going to wash my hands and guide you from over here. >> okay. >> i take an ice cream scoop so that way all the meatballs are the same size and cook evenly. >> you're putting these in the oven. you could also brown these, couldn't you? >> in a simmering liquid. you know, to poach them, brown them in a pan with butter or oil or bake them in the oven. my whole thing is about making these flavorful. >> you make a lot of them because you can actually put them in the freezer and serve them later. they're a little more rustic, more country style than yours. >> not really. >> here's the meatball. thousand do you freeze these? >> cook them off, i make a bunch to have leftover, and i put them in the freezer for about half an hour. you want to freeze them before you put them in the baggy. >> otherwise they all mush together. >> becomes one big clump. and i like to portion them out. you pull this out, defrost and cook them. >> how long in the freezer? >> weeks and weeks. >> fine. now you can take the ones you've made out in advance.

how would you use those? >> i like to -- this is what i'm going to make tonight at the meatball madness. we do a little bit of sauce. and why don't we -- here, cut a meatball for me. >> here we go. >> there we go. cut the meatball, we're going to add some red onion. and here's the meatball fan over here. and a little bit of red pepper flakes. we're making this just for you, al. a little bit of provolone. >> smells a little strong, doesn't it? >> but it's good. it's spicy. >> okay. and here's what it looks like. press it, melt it altogether. >> you've got skewers, pizza here. >> i can do anything with them. >> we're back right after this.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell. >> getting word of another accident on southbound j.f.x., just past cold spring line. you can see the delays that lead up to the beltway, and our and outer loop jammed up prior to the j.f.x. we have another accident backing up traffic in howard county. southbound 95, d laid out of the white marsh area down to the 895 split.

update on our an live cameras. j.f.x. of old pimlico road, completely jammed from the beltway towards a coldspring lane. north side of the beltway as jammed as well. tony, over to you. >> the weather is nice and quiet. sunshine on the traffic cameras. 43 in westminster. 38 in taneytown. high temperatures range between 60 and 65. that is in a little below average. sunset this evening at 6:33. it's a little breeze out of the northwest. if you stay out of the wind, it won't feel bad. high of 64 on friday. 60 on saturday. we could get our first frost

around the suburbs of baltimore saturday morning. >> another update at 8:56.

it's just that simple, i mean, it's a no brainer. anncr: every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty... million at casinos in west virginia, delaware... and pennsylvania. one west virginia paper calls it a "cash cow" for them. but its cost maryland over one billion dollars. money that could have created good jobs and...

better schools for us. question seven keeps maryland money in maryland. david smallwood: question seven, i think it will be a... good thing for the state of maryland. ♪ 8:30 now on a thursday morning, it's the 11th day of october, 2012. people on the plaza bundled up a little bit this morning. it's a beautiful morning here in new york. sunny skies, temperatures in the low 50s, and we're warming things up with the music of

elle. she's a young lady who says that song has been both a blessing and a bit of a curse to her. we're going to find out more when she joins us live and performs in our studio. >> she's got a great new song. we're really enjoying this morning. >> i'm matt lauer along with savannah gurthrie, natalie morales, and mr. al roker. labeling kids, a lot of parents get the diagnosis that their child has adhd, or a.d.d., and on the one hand it can be a relief to know what's going on, but others worry it can create a stigma. and fighting skin cancer, it can strike at any age, it can also be deadly. we're going to meet a woman who has fought skin cancer three times starting at the age of 25. >> wow. by the way, we've got paparazzi taking pictures over here. that woman looks familiar. >> who is this woman? >> savannah's mom in the house. >> yes, my mom. >> she's like, are you talking about me? >> and her sister.

>> aunt debbie. >> and she's shy like you are. >> i know. we're waiting for them to come of their shells. and speaking of shy, the professionals are back. and this morning, they're going to be joined by nick offerman, he's joining star and donny to talk about everything from the sudden weight loss to a full-time body guard for honey boo boo. honey boo boo child. >> all right, mr. roker, how about a check of the weather? >> starting off with today, we are looking at breezy conditions in the northeast, chillier than usual, snow showers in the upper mississippi river valley, sunshine in the pacific northwest, a lot of wet weather through the southwest with a risk of strong storms along the arkansas/missouri border. and then that slight risk also expands back to the west. we're looking at strong storms tomorrow from northern texas in to nebraska. wet weather through the southwest with some mountain snows in the central rockies, sunny and cool through the great

lakes. why were you bouncing up and down? >> to stay warm. it's a tried and true technique. no, go ahead. >> it is going to be a quiet >> don't forget. you can check that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. ms. gurthrie. >> all right, mr. roker, thank you. coming up next, the new emphasis on labeling kids. we'll talk about that issue. but first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:35 with "today's family" this morning. what to do when your child is labeled with a learning or behavioral disorder. well, some parents are fearful of the stigma. others express relief. writer/photographer amy windsor is mom of three boys. her oldest son has a.d.d., while her two youngest sons have adhd, attention deficit hyper activity disorder. although hers is a relatively unique situation, she is not alone. according to the cdc, more than 5 million children between the ages of 3 and 17 have been diagnosed with adhd. >> i'm all for labeling. >> amy's story was recently featured in the october issue of "parenting" magazine. >> once you have a diagnosis and know what you're working with, then i feel like it's much more

helpful than trying to muddle through. >> windsor often turns to a website to seek comfort and support while offering the same to others. >> i do write about it on my blog because it is tremendously therapeutic. it's really helpful when you know that other people have the same challenges. >> and social media was especially important last month when she learned about her youngest son's diagnosis. >> just went through my third son getting diagnosed. and shared it on twitter and said, oh, there you have it. we're three for three. >> for amy, open communication between her family and school has also helped make a difference in her sons' lives. >> the end is that we end up with a happy, confident child who is going to succeed. >> christina is parenting magazine's deputy editor. dr. jennifer hartstein is a psychologist. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> is this concept of labeling new, or are we talking about it

more often? >> it's definitely, definitely becoming more prominent. i mean, there are more diagnoses than ever. 78% more autism diagnosis in the last decade. so lots more parents are grappling with this. >> we're hearing about a.d.d., adhd. even the term normal is a label when we think about it. what are the advantages to having a label? >> well, i think, you know, it gives parents some direction. as we heard in the taped piece, gives an idea of what do i do? my kid isn't acting like other children or they're having problems in school, having problems at home, or following directions. how do i go about helping them? and sometimes the label can give strategies and interventions and help with that. >> and eligibility for services which are much needed in situations like this. one parent said this, thank goodness my child was diagnosed, now people will stop thinking his or her behavior is a result of bad parenting. that gives you an idea of what pressure parents are under. >> absolutely. you know, a lot of the parents we spoke to for our article in

parenting said it was actually liberating for them to have the label. that they were no longer the bad mom with the unruly kid. there was a reason. >> how extensive are the evaluations? i mean, what does the child have to go through to be labeled or diagnosed? >> it is really quite extensive. a lot of parents go through day-long evaluations or day-and-a-half-long evaluations. >> there's a lot. multiple steps. parents are interviewed, schools should be interviewed, they should look in multiple settings. and in often times, the evaluations can be chunks of time. so three days, a couple hours each day, especially for kids who can't sit still. it's a big time investment and important to get the right answer. >> let's flip the coin over. there are also parents who say, i don't want this label, even if my child has been through an evaluation. there is undeniably thaa stigma. how do they deal with that? >> you know, a lot of the parents have said they're afraid there's going to be lower

expectations set for their child. that their child will be able to coast, they'll get used to, you know, having slack cut to them. and that was really their biggest worry. but at the end of the day, they really just had to trust their gut about what was in the best interest of the child. >> and i want to add to that that i think the other issue with it is kids then define themselves often by their diagnosis. you don't meet someone who has cancer who says, hi, i'm cancer. but everybody says, hi, i'm jennifer, i'm depressed, i'm anxious. so they don't ever learn to separate themselves from their illness which makes them unempowered instead of empowered. >> when you look at the number of children who are diagnosed with one thing or the other, it's staggering. >> it's absolutely huge. and that's why some parents are trying to get the labels more than ever because the schools have limited resources, infrastructure, and budget to manage all these kids appropriately and it's getting harder to get that label. >> what should a parent do if he or she feels their child after

going through an evaluation has been misdiagnosed? given a label they don't think is appropriate? >> don't expect -- you're the consumer as a parent. you wouldn't just buy the first car you saw, you would look at lots of cars. if you are not sure, get a second opinion, you would before you had major surgery. this is your child. go get other -- ask questions, get other information, go ask for more. there is often times a.d.d. looks like anxiety, anxiety looks like a.d.d., it's not right. >> that a phase a child is going through. what are the signs that a parent should be looking for? and at what age that something may actually be wrong with their child? >> you know, there are signs that come at toddler, 3 and 4 years old and it usually comes to a head when the child gets into school and you have a teacher in that structured setting saying, hey, you know, we have a problem here. it is based on observation. i would say over several years. >> and developmental hallmarks. if your child isn't meeting those, you want to address them appropriately. >> doctor, thanks so much,

christina, nice to see you. thanks so much. 8:41. still ahead, today's professionals and parents' guide to treating cold and flu. but first, on a thursday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:44 with a personal look at the dangers of skin cancer. hillary was just 25 years old when she had her first melanoma removed. and now she's urging families to protect themselves from the dangers of sun overexposure. her new memoir is called "pale girl speaks." good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you found out you had skin cancer at the age of 25. that must have been shocking. >> yeah. it was, i think we kind of walk around feeling invincible, particularly when we're in our 20s. and, yeah, cancer's something that's going to happen to other people. you know.

>> do you think some people have the perception that skin cancer isn't as serious because so many people have had a basal cell, you had melanoma, the most severe. >> yeah, melanoma's like other forms of cancer. it can spread incredibly quickly. and most people think, yeah, you have it removed and you're done and you're good. and it's incredibly deadly if it's not caught early. >> you write this memoir and it's at times funny and you dish your family a little bit. >> a little bit. >> how did they react? what was that experience? >> you know, they were incredibly supportive. but they knew that the story was going to affect people, i had to be completely open and honest and sometimes that's not always pretty. >> but they understand, it's all in service of a greater good. >> yeah. >> we should mention, actually, that your husband is in our family, the head of universal pictures. he's supportive of you getting out there telling your story. >> it was hard also for him to read it. he's in it. and when you go through

something or you're the spouse of something that goes through something, you know, you're not always at your best. and so it was also hard for him to read the book. >> we want to do some good here and give some tips. and the first thing, i know you credit your dermatologist for saving your life, for noticing this. >> absolutely. >> what are your number one ways for all of us to protect ourselves? >> yearly skin checks is probably one of the top. you need to go and have someone looking at your skin and looking at the places that you can't see. and i tell people, you need to get naked. some people are like, wait, i have to get naked at my dermatologist. you need to take all of your clothes off. because they need to see your butt, your back, and your scalp. >> people think it's only going to hit where the sun shines. >> arms and legs. and we can see that. we need someone checking the places we can't see. >> you also say invest in products your love. >> yeah. i spent my whole life looking for the perfect mascara, but i feel like people look for, you know, a sunscreen, they put it on, feels too thick, too chalky and give up. so invest the time in finding

things you love. >> you also say we should keep the routine simple. >> right. well, if it's not simple, we're not going to do it every day and we're going to burn out. i keep a sunscreen stick in my purse, i keep a hat in my car. you know, just always be prepared. >> and you keep an eye on yourself, don't you? the once over every day. >> absolutely. before i get in the shower, just an easy thing. you know, check. >> and i know you have made this a priority for the whole family. and you do this with the kids. and that can't be easy. how old are your kids? >> 6 and 8, girls so. >> well, they're going to thank you later. >> yeah. >> how do you get them to do that? >> i started very young with them and i think that helped so much. because if you can make it part of their morning routine, then it's second nature, you know. but i think also you need to talk to them about why you're doing it, give them sunscreen choices. once they're of a certain age, you know, they have a preference too on how it feels on their skin. >> you even do fun experiments to educate them, for example?

>> i do. you take a piece of colored construction paper, put it outside for a couple hours, you put a key, some objects on it and they can see how the sun fades it. and it's a good way to show them that there are these powers at work we can't see. >> well, it's great advice, it's great to read about your journey. glad you're doing so well today. >> thank you. and coming up next, a live >> thank you. and coming up next, a live performance from ellie.

it's heavy lifting. you start with a democratic senator named ben. by getting bwi-marshall funding for new runways, he's helping us serve 21 million passengers a year, which helps keep 100,000 jobs that depend on the airport, and that means more cargo for more businesses and more skycaps unloading more taxis... welcome to bwi. ...carrying families with more luggage. thanks. it's like he's out here with us. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i approve this message.

♪ the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> british singer/song writer ellie goulding performed at the duke and duchess of cambridge wedding. now she's out with her second album. good to see you. so i spent some time reading about you last night. and you said every interview you've done for the last two years has been about one subject. because i want you to like me, i'm not even going to mention it. so let's just talk about you. you were one of the only, the only british singer to win the two most prestigious newcomer awards. how much pressure does that put on you? >> a little bit, yeah.

everything kind of happened around the same time. so as soon as that happened, i then put my album out and it started a ridiculous roller coaster. >> and it started so huge over in the uk and kind of simmered for a while until it made its way here. were you surprised at the longevity that period had? >> well, yeah, i came over and i was here for a while and did tours and shows, and then came back over to my house here and one of my songs became really well known. for what we do not mention and becomes popular here. if people are listening to this new album, how does the sound of this compare with the sound of that song we're not going to mention? >> it's been out for about a week, i've been getting a little bit of feedback maybe it's a bit darker, more soulful. >> do you like those words? >> yeah. >> the darker one? >> yeah, i mean, it is. a bit more melancholy than the last one. i like it. >> apparently a lot of people are waiting for some sort of

collaboration between you and your boyfriend and they're going to hear that now. it's a song that's on the "twilight" movie. how did it go? >> yeah. good, yeah. >> what was it like working with him? >> very professional. >> you kept it all on the up and up? >> yeah. had to. >> didn't allow personal feelings to get involved. >> yeah. we had to get it done. yeah, it was very, very special. >> what are you singing? >> "anything can happen" from my new album. >> ladies and gentlemen, ellie goulding. ♪ ♪ stripped to the waist we fall into the river ♪ ♪ cover your eyes so you don't know the secret ♪ ♪ i've been trying to hide we held our breath ♪

♪ to see our names were written on the wreck of '86 ♪ ♪ that was the year i knew the panic was over ♪ ♪ yes since we found out since we found out ♪ ♪ that anything could happen anything could happen ♪ ♪ anything could happen anything could happen ♪ ♪ anything could happen anything could happen ♪ ♪ after the war we said we'd fight together ♪ ♪ i guess we thought that's what humans do ♪

♪ letting darkness grow as if we need its palette and we need its color ♪ ♪ but now i've seen it through and now i know the truth ♪ ♪ that anything could happen anything could happen ♪ ♪ anything could happen ♪ anything could happen anything could happen ♪ ♪ anything could ♪ i'll give you everything you need i'll give you everything you need ♪ ♪ i'll give you everything you need ♪ ♪ but i don't think i need you ♪ i know it's going be

i know it's gonna be ♪ ♪ i know it's gonna be it's gonna be hard ♪ ♪ know it's gonna be know it's gonna be i know it's gonna be hard ♪ ♪ but i don't think i need you ♪ and i don't think i need you ♪ and i don't think i need you ♪ and i don't think i need you ♪ >> ellie goulding, ellie, thank

you for much, the new album, the other song was called "lights," by the way. sorry. still ahead, nick offerman joins today's professionals. but first your local news. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. four people are dead after a two-allow an house fire. fire officials responded to to denwood avenue just after 2:00 this morning. those who died were children,

ages 1, 3, 5, and seven, and their 55-year-old grandmother. one victim jumped from a second story window to escape.

>> it is going to be a nice day. we will wind up in the low 60s with lots of sunshine.